Occupational Who? Never Heard of Them! An Audit of Patient Awareness of Occupational Therapists

Abstract

To judge patients' awareness of previous and current occupational therapy, 89 patients attending the clinics of two neurologists were interviewed by an occupational therapist. Information given by the patient on prior and continuing contact with domiciliary occupational therapists was then verified by questionnaires to the community-based therapists. Both sets of responses were collated and compared. Patients were also sent questionnaires 3 months after being seen at the clinic, in which they were asked if they remembered seeing the therapist at the clinic. Of 75 patients who had been seen previously by a domiciliary occupational therapist, 24 were unaware of the contact; of 31 patients who had some form of intervention in progress, 14 did not report any of this work; and of 80 patients surveyed after 3 months, 10 did not remember seeing the therapist at the clinic. Possible reasons for this lack of awareness are discussed and suggestions made as to how it might be improved.